John Smith is a native of Peoria County, and is now occupying a prominent place among the
intelligent, well-to-do and enterprising young farmers who are doing so much to develop
and extend its marvelous agricultural interests. He owns a valuable and well-improved farm
on the southeast quarter of section 14, Princeville Township, his place of birth. His
father, John Smith, was an old and prominent settler of this locality, and was one of the
leading farmers of the township.

Mr. Smith, the elder, was a native of Lanarkshire Scotland, his father bearing the same
name as himself, being also a native of that place. John was a name in the family for four
hundred years back to the time of William Wallace. The grandfather of our subject became a
soldier in the English army when a young man and followed a military life for nine years,
being a member of the Seventy-first Glasgow Regiment. He was in Spain with Wellington and
was wounded in the shoulder during the Peninsula War. He left the army before the battle
of Waterloo. At the battle of Coronna he was wounded in the breast and was taken prisoner
and imprisoned six months. He was finally discharged from the army at the age of thirty
years, he being one of five brothers who enlisted. He returned Glasgow, where he was
engaged as a cotton dresser, following that until he came to America and became quite well
off. In 1842 he embarked for this country, landed in New Orleans, and from there went to
S. Louis. He had started with a colony for Texas, but as the yellow fever was so deadly in
that quarter that season, they had changed course of their journey. He lived in St. Louis
awhile and in 1844 came from there to Peoria, and invested in some Government land on
section 7, Princeville Township, and made his home on it until his death in March, 1852.
He was a Presbyterian and was strong in the faith.

The father of our subject was reared in Scotland and his first occupation when he became
self-supporting was as a clerk in a bookstore. Subsequently he learned the trade of a
dresser of cotton. In 1842, he came to the United States by the way of Canada. He was
engaged on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, between New Orleans and St. Louis and even
beyond the head of navigation on the Missouri until 1845, when he settled here. He bought
Government land on section 7, of this township, improved it, and was actively engaged in
farming and stock-raising and acquired a valuable property, being at one time owner of
three hundred and twenty acres of exceptionally fine farming land. He was ever liberal and
public- spirited and bore an honorable part in local affairs, especially in educational
matters, and at various times held different school offices. He was a strong Republican in
his political views and gave generous support to his party. Religiously, he was a
Presbyterian, and was in every way an exemplary Christian gentleman. His death here May
27, 1890, at the age of sixty-seven years, two months and thirteen days, was a loss to the
citizenship of Princeville.

The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Jane Payne, and she was born in Carroll
County, Va., coming of a worthy family. Her father, Walter Payne, was also a Virginian by
birth and was a farmer by occupation. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. About 1840 he
came to Illinois and settled in the timber in Princeville Township, and carried on his
farming operations here until he retired from active life, and from that time he made his
home with a daughter in Toulon, where he died. The mother of our subject, a highly
respected lady, is still residing on the old homestead. Of her marriage eight children
were born: Isabelle, Mrs. Martin, of this township; Rachael, Mrs. Chase of Akron Township;
John; Walter, of Gage County, Neb.; Mary J., with her mother in Princeville Township;
Margaret A., Mrs. Miller, who died in Gage County, Neb.; William W., of Gage county, Neb.,
and Lizzie, Mrs. Lewis of Salt Lake City.

The subject of this biographical review was born in Princeville Township, July 15, 1852
and was reared to man's estate on his father's homestead. He gleaned a good education in
the district and graded schools which he attended during the winter session until of age
and he then entered Cole's Business college in Peoria, from which he was graduated after
pursuing an excellent course. Leaving college he returned home and entered upon his career
as a farmer on his father's farm, remaining with his parents until he was twenty-three.
After his marriage, in the fall of 1875, our subject located on his present place and has
since been actively engaged in its improvement, and has developed it from its original
state to its present fine condition, breaking a part of the prairie sod himself, and in
1880 he purchased it from its former owner. It comprises the southeast quarter of section
18, and its one hundred and sixty acres are already under admirable tillage and are well
hedged, and provided with a neat dwelling good barns and other necessary buildings. It is
a very desirable piece of property and is well watered by the creek and a never-failing
supply of running water, has fine groves and orchards and is well adapted to raising
grain, corn and oats. Mr. Smith has two teams of Clydesdale and Shire horses of good
grade, and has a number of full blooded Poland-China hogs, paying much attention to
raising that animal for the markets.

Mr. Smith and Miss Bessie A. Rowcliffe were married in Jubilee, October 27, 1875, and
their wedded life has proved a mutual benefit and has been a happy one. Mrs. Smith is a
daughter of Hon. William Rowcliffe, of Jubilee Township, of whom see biography on another
page of this volume. Mr. Smith was born in Erie county, Ohio January 16, 1848, and was a
child when she came to Illinois with her parents. She is a lady of true culture, having
received the advantages of an excellent education. When she was seventeen years old she
entered the Illinois Normal School, and was a pupil in that institution for six months.
She afterward engaged in the profession of teaching for some nine years in Jubilee and
Radnor. She is the mother of four children-Roy B., Jessie G., Flossie M., and John H.

Mr. Smith is endowed with strength of character and a moral and mental makeup that place
him among those whose citizenship is most honorable to his native township and county. His
sturdy, practical traits and thrifty habits have been very advantageous to him in the
prosecution of his calling and have already put him among the men of easy circumstances in
Princeville. He is a stalwart among the Republicans, one of the leaders of the party in
this vicinity and has been a delegate to county conventions. Religiously he is of the
Presbyterian faith.